Tree Chopping (Free)

ronanluke

Hello,

this is more of an enquiry really. I have about 35 coniferous/ palm trees about 35 foot tall. We would like to get them taken down but there are two issues for us. Firstly is the cost and secondly is the equipment which we neither have or are able to use for trees of this size. I have heard of people chopping down trees free of charge and in return they get to keep all the firewood and mulch to do with however they like (sell, etc). I am wondering if anyone knows of anyone who does this?

Thanks.

jeffwode

Whereabouts are you?

Maphisto

Are any of the trees close to any buildings or power lines?

If the answer is yes I'd suggest you pay a professional.

ford2600

Maphisto wrote: »

Are any of the trees close to any buildings or power lines?

If the answer is yes I'd suggest you pay a professional.

The Wire, season 3 episode 8

"there's nothing more expensive than something for free."

CJhaughey

Problem is people are inundated with wood, everywhere I look there are stacks of timber from storm damage.
To be fair some people would do it for the wood if it was good timber but leylandii isn't highly sought after as firewood.
Don't underestimate the amount of work in clearing up after dropping them.

Rovi

In your other thread on this subject (http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=90058551#post90058551) you confirm that these trees are Leylandii .
There's a tremendous amount of brash left after the 'firewood' portion of a Leylandii has been recovered and this material is of no interest whatsoever to the firewood people.

If you want the full job of trees felled and all residual material removed, no-one will do it for the taking away of the firewood.

Make sure whoever you engage to do this has adequate professional and public liability insurance, and that all their operatives are properly qualified to do whatever it is they're doing.

monkeynuz

I did try and explain before ronan, that it isn't a good idea to have just anyone on your land doing the job, they probably won't be insured so if any damage is done to you, your property, them or passers by then you are liable.

Not worth taking the risk.

This was answered on the other thread, sorry you didn't like the answers.

ford2600

monkeynuz wrote: »

I did try and explain before ronan, that it isn't a good idea to have just anyone on your land doing the job, they probably won't be insured so if any damage is done to you, your property, them or passers by then you are liable.

Not worth taking the risk.

This was answered on the other thread, sorry you didn't like the answers.

I've had to drop a row of these trees in two different houses. Sister's place and mother in laws.
While I have unlimited firewood myself and didn't want wood, I had to ask a few people before someone would collect wood in lengths for free!
Mulched waste (of which there is a lot) on first occasion and farmer collected for free. Second occasion had to haul waste to my own place.

Horrible wood to work with, very poor return for effort. Very difficult to split.

@monkeynuz has given good advice on insurance. Listen to it

wayoutwest

Leylandii makes great firewood .....all DRY wood is good firewood.It does have a high resin content that will cause chimney fires UNLESS the logs have been fully dried for a couple of years.
If you got a professional to fell them and slice them into 8 to 10" rings, you could always sell the rings to someone locally, who's got a woodburner, trailer, space to let it dry, and likes chopping wood.Maybe worth 10 or 15 euro per cubiic metre....which would help towards paying for the felling/ringing-up and brash removal.
If I lived locally I would take the whole lot off ye.:pac:

Oldtree

leylandii makes for great posts due to the high resin content (lasts a long time), if you do burn it clean the chimney more often as there is a much higher goo buildup in the chimney also due to the high resin content. A chipper would reduce the brash down to 1/10th of its volume.

wayoutwest

Burning bone dry Leylandii logs will not produce any build up of goo.
Hopping wet Leylandii logs(moisture content over 18%) up onto a bed of coal will produce lots of goo (that will only be removed effeciently by having an inevitable chimney fire!).

nigelm485

Are you looking to get someone to fell it for you, what part of the country are you in?

monkeynuz

Burning pine even dry will produce more crap in the chimney than burning hardwood, pine takes at least 3 years to season. That is why the french wouldn't even consider pine.

Oldtree

Burning wood will produce a build up (Goo):D in the father in laws open fire anyway, moreso than coal mainly due to the woods lower burning temperatures. Woods with resin in them produce more build up on top of that. I have to say that the smell from the burning resins is lovely but a close eye must be kept on the chimney for buildup and the chimney cleaned twice a year at least even if burning bone dry wood I would not burn wet wood.

periodictable

CJhaughey wrote: »

Problem is people are inundated with wood, everywhere I look there are stacks of timber from storm damage.
To be fair some people would do it for the wood if it was good timber but leylandii isn't highly sought after as firewood.
Don't underestimate the amount of work in clearing up after dropping them.

Leylandii make a superb firewood once seasoned.
I've used 40 cm rounds 15 cm high on embers, flame it up for 20 mins and you get a continuous slow burn for 15 hours or so.

CJhaughey

periodictable wrote: »

Leylandii make a superb firewood once seasoned.
I've used 40 cm rounds 15 cm high on embers, flame it up for 20 mins and you get a continuous slow burn for 15 hours or so.

I didn't say it wasn't good, I said it wasn't sought after.
I burn plenty of it myself, but as a firewood tree I would prefer to cut other stuff before Leylandii.
The amount of waste branches is the main problem and the bark holds a lot of grit which blunts chains quickly in my experience.
Contrast that to Ash which would be much more sought after due to less waste and cleaner cutting.

Oldtree

CJhaughey wrote: »

I didn't say it wasn't good, I said it wasn't sought after.
I burn plenty of it myself, but as a firewood tree I would prefer to cut other stuff before Leylandii.
The amount of waste branches is the main problem and the bark holds a lot of grit which blunts chains quickly in my experience.
Contrast that to Ash which would be much more sought after due to less waste and cleaner cutting.

Agreed Ash is the prince umong woods to burn. even the smaller branches shouldn't be wasted imo. Its lovely stuff.